Spring suspension for vehicles



, Oct. 9,1928. r 1,686,561

r H. w. HYDE SPRING SUSPENSION FOR VEHICLES Filed Aug. 24,f 1925 In W???ta);

"SACHUSETTS.

I-IENRY' W BB HYDE, OF'NOBTH COEEASSET, massaciinsnrrs, Ass eNon OQHYDEENGINEERING COMPANY, or BQSTDN, MAssAcnusn-r'rs, Aconro'RATio or as:

i SPRING S USPENSIGN' FOR VEHICLES.

Application filed August-24,, iessl Serial Nb. e59,o95.

This invention relates to vehicle spring suspensions of the generaltypeshown and I described in my prior application for Letters Patent, filedSeptember 29, 1921, Serial No. 504,160, Patented Jan. 27, 1925, No.1,524fi37of which the present case is a division in part and 'Wi hrespect to such sub 'jeet matter as it has in common therewith, I yAsexplained'in said prior application, the

invention consists primarily in providing the vehicle with longitudinalsprings or spring reaches connected at their ends, either directly orindirectly, with the axles, and in supporting the body on the springreaches intermediate the ends of the latter in such I a manner as topermit 'said body to rock ivith respect to and independently of thereaches upona horizontal, transverse axis,

'1 whichqthe vehicle body isZpivot-ally con-,

' so thatitilting or rocking of the reaches, caused by a verticalmovement of either the front or rear heels and the axle carried thereby,Will not be transmitted to the body and Will'fnot' tend'to tip or pitchthe same,

.said bodybeingf perinittechfby rocking about its axis with respect tothe reaches, to maintain its substantiallyhorizontal position, its

' only movement beinga slight vertical onein a substantially rectilineardirection.

The presentinvention has for its object to provide a formof springsuspension of the general type above referred to in which notwithstandiiig the pivotal mounting ofthe ;body on the. reaches, thestability of the former is provided for Without-the use of balancingsprings or any otherconnection between the body and axles except thepivoted re'aches, thereby securing toithe fullest degree the advantagesof the principlereferred to. This is accomplished by the use of twopairs of spring reaches to both of :nected, the Whole constituting aduplication of the simplest form of suspension of th s type.

45 The foregoingand other objects ofthe invention, together with means,whereby vthesame may .be carried into effect, Wlll best'be understoodfrom the following description of certain forms or embodiments thereofil- [lustrated in the acco'mpanying drawings; It

Will be understood, however, that the particular constructions andarrangements described and shown have'been chosen for 11- body.

the rocking of the reaches, is so a lustrative purposes merely and thatthe invention, as defined bythej claims hereunto appended, may beothei'wise' practiced ivit'h- I ing a 'inodification.

The principle-of operation of a spring suspension of the general type ofthat to which the present case relates is fullyexplained in my priorpatent above referred to. For

the purposes of the present description this principle may 'loWs:

be briefly outlined 'as fol- In the ordinary vehicle, Whether providedwith elliptical, seini ell1ptical, or cantilever springsfthe springsare, in effect, rigidly se- F 3 is a 'VlGWjSllllllill to Fig.1,ilhistratcured'to-tlie body or frame, and any shock 1 or blow on. aWheel, to'unevenness in the roachw'vli ch causes'tlie wheel to rise orfall suddenly, is c0mmunic'ated directly to the In the type of springsuspension 1 to ivhich the present invention relates, on the contrary,if the front wheelffor example, be raised,oWing to the unevenness in theroad,

the tendency isfor the spring reach toturn about :the pivot afforded bythe-rocker on which the body is supported, butnottorock the body. Itthus tends to swing'the rear end or the reach andrear axle downwardabout the pivot, sotliat the ch ef effect of the blow isti'aiisinittcdfto the rear Wheels on. Lilre v sm'whenthe'iieai' Wheelgoes over an obstructionfor drops into aliole, thefront Wheels and tiresreceive the inajor'pa'rt of "tliereact ioii and the body is -afi ectedI'Glilm tivelylittle; In'aiiy event,any lifting" force,

or the resultant of such lifting forces as 1 itchin motion.

drawings, the"four-fspi'ing-reaches compris- Referring' now toj'Figsdland '2' of the and absorbed by the pneumatic tires therea tent, and: notto rock said body froin fr'ont to back, so'that the body is not givenany ing the two pairs above referred to are therein designated A, B, Cand D, of which A and B constitute one pair, while C and D constitutethe other. Each of these reaches consists of a substantially rigid steelbeam unequal elongation of the reaches for reasons which will beapparent. At the rear of the Vehicle, a reverse arrangement is employed.

The inside reaches C and D are bolted at 18 to the rear axle 19, whilethe outside reaches Aand B are suspended by shackles'21 from the rearaxle. f The inside reaches C and D carry upwardly extending brackets 24and 25 cooperating with downwardly extending brackets 26 and 27 on thebody frame 10, and these brackets are connected by two pivots 28 and 29which form an axis on which the frame can rock with relation torthispair of reaches. This axis is located forward of the center of gravityof'the body. The outside pair of reaches A- and B are likewiseconnected, to the frame I 10 by 'pivots30 and 31 engaging respectively 1tively, which are so located v wayvbetween them'i forward 'of the centertwo pairs of brackets 32 and 33, and34 and V 35. Thesepivots are locatedbehind theflcenter of gravity'of the body.

In Figuref3'is shown a modification of the construction above described.As shown'in this figure, the inside reaches E and outside reaches F arepivotally connected, in substantially the manner above described,to .thebody frame 40 atpoints 41 and 42, respecthat a point midof gravity ofthe body 40, said points 41 and 42 being preferably both forward of,

said center of gravity. As in the form of the invention shown in'Figs.land 2, the

forward ends of the spring reaches are connected with the, front axle43, the bottom leafof the front end of each of the outside reaches Fbeing rigidly securedto said axle by afbolt 44, and the bottom leafofthe front 'end of each of the inside reaches E 'i being suspended belowthe front axle by a shackle 46. 'In thi form of the invention, however,the rear ends ofsaldspring reaches are not connected in a correspondingway to the rear axle 50, but are connected by shackles 47 with theforward ends of semi-elliptical springs 48 supported by said rear axle.

Theforward ends ofthe springs 48 constitute extensions of the springreaches, eonnecting the latter with the axle 50, while :the rear ends ofsaidsprings 48' at the opposite sides of 'said axle are pivotallyconnected with the rear end of the bodyframe '40. In this form of'theinvention, the resultant of the upward forces transmitted to the-body 40at the points 41 and 42 at which said body is connected to the springreaches, is applied to said body, at a point forward of the center ofgravity thereof, and

the rear end of said body, at the opposite side of its center ofgravity, is acted upon by the rear ends of the springs 48, whichconstitute balancing springs operating, as more fully explained in myprior patent above referred to, to balance the forces about the centerof gravity of the body when the rear axle is raised. When the frontaxle43 is raised, tending to raise the forward endof the body, thespring reaches, rocking upon the body, will, through the springs 48acting aslevers fulcrumed upon the rear axle 50, tend tov lift the rearendof the body'also,

thereby preventing'pitching of the latter in accordance with theprinciples more fully explained in another application filed 28, 1923,Serial No. 641,933. In this specification, thephrase -spring May reachesis employed as a comprehensive term to denote longitudinalmembersthrough which the body is supported from the axles v and composedwholly or in part of springs. The term, therefore, is to be taken asincluding a unitary spring as well asa reach'composed of a substantiallyrigid beam to the ends of which are attached springs. It will beunderstood that when the spring reach is constructed as last described,and as herein shown, the connection between the beam and the springs'lsa rig d 0116111 thefsense that there is nopivotal or other movableconnection at this point.

The words rear, front, and similar ex- 7 pressions are herein used as'convenientillusfliltlWE terms, lt-belng obvious that, although theconstructions shown are preferred for most purposes, the suspensionsmight be oppositely disposed. These and other modifications of theconstruction shown will,

however, be readily apparent to those skilled- Y in the art withoutfurther description in detail. I I H V What I claim is: i

1. 'An improved spring suspension for motor vehicles comprising twopairs. of

spring reaches, each supported at its opposite ends from the-axles ofthe vehicle and both pairs of reaches extending between the sametwo-axles, and a pairof pivotalfconnections for each pair of reaches,said pairs of pivotal connections being separated'from eachotherlengthwise of the body.

2. In combination, thefront and rear axles ,7

of a motor vehicle and itsfbody, two pairs of spring reaches eachsupported atits'op posite ends from said axles respectively andeachconsistingofa. nonresilient section and two spring members, and'twopairs of pivotal connections each pair connecting the body and thenon-resilient portions of one pair of spring reaches, one pair ofpivotal connections being between the center of gravity of the body andthe rear axle and the other pair beingbetween said center of gravity andthe nections between the body and eachpair of reaches upon which theformer is adapted to rock with respect to, the latter about a transverseaxis, each of said connectionsbeing at oneside of'the centre of gravityof the body.

4. In a vehicle having axles and a body, a,

spring suspension comprising two pairs of spring reaches each-connectedat both ends.

with the axles and both pairs "extending between the same two axles, anda connection between the body and each pair of reaches upon which theformer is adapted to rock withrespect to the latter about a transverse"axis, said axes beings'eparateditrom each other lengthwise of the body.

In testimony whereof I affix my signa; ture. i V

HENRY WEBB HYDE. i

